AMD release Quad-Core Opteron Processors
10 September 2007 Source: www.amd.com
The AMD64 platform is the gold standard for 64-bit computing, winning over 160 industry awards since it was introduced in 2003. AMD Opteron processors have brought enhanced performance and lower power consumption to enterprise datacenter deployments. Our upcoming Third-Generation of AMD Opteron processors, developed under the codename 'Barcelona', are designed to set the next standard.
With a native design featuring four cores on the same piece of silicon, 'Barcelona' processors have been engineered for unparalleled performance and performance-per-watt. And 'Barcelona' processors have been engineered for a seamless upgrade path from Second-Generation AMD Opteron processor-based platforms based on DDR2 memory. 'Barcelona' processors are also engineered to be compatible with today's thermal envelopes and power infrastructures. As a result, in many cases a BIOS upgrade and a little elbow grease are all you'll need to shift your servers into 'Barcelona' overdrive.
What's under the hood? More than just four cores. 'Barcelona' processors feature dedicated L2 cache and new 128-bit floating-point math units in each of its cores. And a new shared L3 cache can reduce data latency to main memory.
Virtualized applications have emerged as a leading consideration for enterprises ... but smooth virtualization can require performance without compromise. Fortunately, 'Barcelona' processors were designed from the ground up with virtualization in mind. With optimizations for virtualization in each core such as AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) instructions and new Nested Paging, 'Barcelona' processors are an ideal CPU for today's virtualized environments.
Put simply, we expect 'Barcelona' will be the best x86 processor for enterprise deployments.
AMD has designed its third-generation AMD64 processors to deliver optimum power, scalability, and efficiency - all within a consistent footprint and current power and thermal envelopes.
Part of AMD's long-term customer-centric approach, Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors represent our next step forward in server processing performance and performance-per-watt.
Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors deliver four core efficiencies: system efficiency, CPU efficiency, power efficiency, and virtualization efficiency.